


Visions Are Seldom What They Seem

by afewmistakesago



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Dark Castle, F/M, Happy Ending, Season 6 Speculation, Storybrooke, based on canon, reality and dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 00:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7663441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewmistakesago/pseuds/afewmistakesago
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 6 speculative fic that flashes between present day Storybrooke and the dreams Belle had while under the sleeping curse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Visions Are Seldom What They Seem

The first thing she does in Storybrooke is make an appointment, just to make sure it’s true. She knows it is, of course, because magic doesn’t lie ( _ unless you want it to) _ . Nonetheless, she goes to the hospital and takes a test and the doctor - a fidgety blonde man she’s never seen before - confirms her pregnancy. Belle sighs, suddenly feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders, listening as he advises her to take prenatal vitamins, to avoid stress, to get more rest  _ (she just slept for days on end, and sleep no longer comes easy) _ . She’s half-smiling, mostly to herself, as he lists off things she can no longer eat or drink. Rolling her eyes slightly as he says it might be too early to tell people - everyone’s already been told - she accepts his business card and makes a follow-up appointment with the kind-eyed secretary. Belle’s hand stretches across her stomach as she walks out. They’re in this together, her and her baby, this child that the universe or God or whoever it was decided she would have.

 

_ She’s back in that heavy dress in the antiquated mansion she had found for their honeymoon. Glancing down, she recognized the setting instantly, from the pattern on the floor to the yellow gown. Glancing up, Rumplestiltskin smiled at her, extending his hand, ready to dance. _

_ “Rumple?” she asked, taking his hand cautiously, feeling almost like she cannot control her own motions. “Where are we?” _

_ “You’re dreaming, of course,” he said, like this was obvious. _

_ Oh. A dream. That made sense, now that Belle thought about it. She did not remember the room being this hazy from the smoke that was beginning to surround them. The familiar “Beauty and the Beast” theme filled the air, and they danced. “This is just a dream,” Belle said, her hand reaching for his face, pushing his hair away from his eyes.  _

_ “Your fondest memory,” he confirmed, pulling her close to him. _

_ Belle breathed in deeply. “Before all the bad things… before all the bad happened.” _

_ He doesn’t answer, the dance continuing, and Belle cannot remember for the life of her the last time a dream was this vivid. _

 

The next place she goes is Granny’s Diner. Regardless of if she wanted to be social or not, she had to eat. The townspeople all turn when she enters. Their eyes zero-in on her midsection, looking for an obvious sign of pregnancy  _ (with the Dark One’s baby). _ There isn’t one yet, but it’s nice to know that that’s where their priorities are. Emma is eating at the closest booth with her little brother and her mother. Snow’s eyes widen when she sees Belle, stuttering. Belle half-waves, ignoring Emma and Snow’s plea for her to sit down with them  _ (they probably just want to know where Rumple is, anyway) _ . She wondered if they even noticed she was gone. Belle sat at the counter, making small talk with Granny, who asked if the rumor was true. Belle nodded, and Granny smiled. The woman, despite her hatred for the baby’s father, loved her too dearly to hate the child. A cheeseburger and fries soon appeared in front of her, and Belle could almost pretend things were normal.

 

_ Things shifted, and she wasn’t in the ballroom anymore. Instead, she back in Storybrooke, at the library. Belle walked down the aisles of books, realizing they were never-ending. She was trapped. Nobody else was in the library, not that that was unusual. Feeling compelled to work like normal, Belle found her ladder, and began sorting a terrible mismatched row of books. It felt like this went on for hours, with no rhyme or reason. The phone suddenly rang. She went to answer it, but the line was dead. _

 

It seemed that the Evil Queen had returned. Regina had split herself, or some such nonsense, and the town of Storybrooke was under attack. Leroy had explained it to her at the diner, and Belle felt the sudden onset of a terrible headache, excusing herself from lunch early. She returned to her library, which was unsurprisingly left untouched in her absence. She found the stories of Jekyll & Hyde, poured over the history of light and dark magic  _ (though she already considered herself quite knowledgeable on dark magic) _ . On one shelf she had never taken much time to look at before, she found a copy of  _ What To Expect When You’re Expecting. _ Ashley Boyd had given her a dirty look earlier when she’d asked if she had any books on pregnancy, so Belle supposed she’d have to to find her own. Nobody had asked her for advice on defeating Regina yet, but she had her own ideas.

 

_ This time, she was in the Enchanted Forest. She wore the long green cloak Rumplestiltskin had given her, and she was completely, entirely lost. The forest surrounded her, and Belle tried walking every which way, but she could not find any sign of civilization, just trees and rocks and dirt.  _

_ “Belle,” a voice came from around the corner. She turned quickly, seeing Zelena. “Come on, Belle,” Zelena said, walking towards her. _

_ Belle turned, running as fast as the heels she wore allow, right to Hades. _

_ “Ready to give me that… baby?” he asked, standing too close for her to be comfortable. _

_ Belle shook her head and he disappeared, a figment of her imagination. At the next turn she took, Cora stood, a similar threat coming from her mouth. Next came Ingrid, then Peter Pan, villians, one after the other, all trying to take her baby. No matter where she ran, someone else appeared, voicing their desire to take her child.  _

_ The most familiar voice of all came next. “Belle,” Rumplestiltskin said, suddenly in front of her. She took a step back, fear clenching her stomach. He was the full-on Dark One here, leather and scaly skin and lizard-like eyes. “You needn’t be afraid,” he said. “Aren’t you ready to come home, Belle?” _

 

The apartment above the library had become her home after her return from The Land of Untold Stories. She’d found a white rabbit to make a portal back to Storybrooke. While The Land of Untold Stories had been interesting, she missed indoor plumbing and pickles and her pillow. A box of her things had appeared at the door, the note on them simply said, “Yours. - R.”. It was thoughtful of him to bring her clothes over. Things were complicated with him since she’d woken up. While they’d both taken to brutal honestly, it didn’t mean they were ready to live in the same house and be with each other all the time. Belle decided to take a nap, but woke up twenty minutes later, feeling feverish, reaching for someone who wasn’t there  _ (he would be there for her in an instant if she changed her mind) _ . She never would have cursed herself if she knew it meant constant nightmares whenever she closed her eyes. It was ironic, the one thing she didn’t take the time to research coming back to bite her so ruthlessly.

 

_ The Dark Castle had never been lighter. In this reality, Rumplestiltskin hadn’t stopped her kiss. True Love’s Kiss worked, and he was a man, a normal man. Belle and Rumple spent their days together, talking and laughing, gardening, Rumple searching for another way to find his lost son. In the meantime, they’d had a daughter of their own. She was Belle’s very favorite person, and she found Rumple to be a perfect, doting father. Things were perfect, and that’s why they could never be real. Belle knew it had to be a dream, but she was so content, she let herself fall into it. She was feeding her daughter mushed apples with a spoon when their was a tap at her shoulder. _

_ “Belle?” Rumple asked, though this was not her Rumple. This was the real Rumple, the one who went by Mr. Gold. _

_ “How did you get here?” she asked, standing from her chair. The baby began to fuss, and Rumple looked down at it.  _

_ “Is that -” _

_ “What are you doing in my dream?” she asked again, feeling the room begin to shift.  _

 

The only dreams Belle had now were ones where her baby was hurt because of dark magic. Captured by evil queens, held hostage by strange counts, hurt accidentally by Rumple’s magic, they jolted her awake every night. Belle was exhausted of researching every single way to prevent these things from happening. She was exhausted of the threat of dark magic looming over her. She was simply exhausted. Though she loved Rumplestiltskin  _ (so much her heart hurt) _ , she couldn’t let him endanger their child. And so she offered him a choice. Give up his dark ways, and they could be together. Keep his dark magic, and they could discuss custody with a lawyer closer to her due date.

Her phone rang one morning.

“Rumple?” she said softly. It had been days since they’d last talked.

“I made an appointment for us.”

_ “Oh no,” _ Belle thought, heart suddenly broken. He had made an appointment. With a lawyer. To discuss custody. “Okay…” she said, reaching for a pad of paper, ready to write down an address.

Rumple cleared his throat. “With Doctor Hopper.”

“Doctor Hopper?” she asked, voice considerably more excited.

“Yes,” he said. “You were right. We have… a lot of problems. But I don’t want to give up on you, or our child, or our family. I’ve hated being away from you these past weeks. I want to work at being better.”

“I do, too,” Belle whispered, tears filling her eyes. “And I’ve missed you, too.”

There was a brief pause. “I’ll see you this afternoon, 3’o’clock,” Rumple said.

“Sounds great.”

“Okay. I love you,” Rumple said, the last three words spilling out quickly, the line clicking dead.

“I love you, too, silly man,” Belle said out-loud to no one, putting the phone down. Things were started to look up in Storybrooke. 


End file.
